


The Kissing Crisis

by boltplum



Category: Stranger Things (TV 2016)
Genre: Bisexual Steve Harrington, First Kiss, Fluff, Gay Billy Hargrove, Gay Disaster Billy Hargrove, M/M, One Shot, Prompt Fic, Prompt Fill, Steve and his bi crisis, Tumblr Prompt
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-30
Updated: 2020-11-30
Packaged: 2021-03-10 02:34:58
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,626
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27797029
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/boltplum/pseuds/boltplum
Summary: “Get in line,” Billy says. “You’re freaking out over a kiss? Just a kiss?”He gets a glare. “Yes!”“And you’re asking me because?”“Well, because! You’re...gay.”Billy leans in close, whispers, “No way!”
Relationships: Billy Hargrove/Steve Harrington
Comments: 8
Kudos: 183





	The Kissing Crisis

**Author's Note:**

> Prompt from wholeshebangs on tumblr! “Ok this is very specific because I've been day dreaming about it for days lmao. BUT. A sort of au where Steve and Billy are basically best friends. Steve already knows Billy's gay. Billy told him ages ago. Nothing has happened between them. But one day Steve seems off and distracted, and when Billy asks what's up, Steve brings up the day before he had his first kiss with a dude. Has a bi crisis. And then Billy just... tries to support him but internally screams. Pls.. with a happy ending? 😭”

“You’re acting real weird, Harrington.”

“How many times, man? It’s Steve.”

They’ve had this argument a thousand times by now.

“My apologies, King Steve,” Billy corrects. He shifts, leans over where Steve’s got his knees spread and fakes a punch toward his junk. He laughs when Steve flinches, swearing. The Nintendo controller in his hands almost flies through the window with how hard he throws it. “What’s the bitch done now?”

Steve lunges forward, growling as Billy goes tumbling to his back on Steve’s floor. Steve gives him eight punches to the bicep. It’ll smart tomorrow.

Billy shoves him off with a foot to the stomach. By the time Steve’s got all his fire burned off, they’re both huffing and puffing.

“You know we broke up like two months ago. And Nancy isn’t a bitch.”

Billy rolls his eyes. Bites back the insult he wants to hurl at the mention of Steve’s prissy little ex.

Has to remind himself they _are_ over. Billy’s got nothing more to worry about.

They were on again off again for the last couple years. Billy’s sick of hearing about it. About her.

They’re adults for fuck’s sake.

He stays on his back, setting his own controller on his stomach. On screen, one of their characters dies. Probably Billy’s.

“Then what is it?” Billy asks. “You know you can tell me anything. Spill the beans, man.”

Steve’s been Billy’s best friend since he kicked Tommy Hagan to the curb during senior year back in high school.

Now, they’re sophomores at Indiana State and Steve’s never been more himself, more of a king, than he is while he’s at Billy’s side.

They share a one bedroom apartment. Steve gets the room. Billy is fine with the living room. It’s more freedom and personal space than he’s had his entire life.

That Steve Harrington happens to sleep on the other side of the wall just sweetens the pot.

“King this. King that. If I’m royalty then where the hell’s my cape, huh?” Steve asks him, and he has a point.

Billy’s been tempted to buy the guy a crown and purple cape from the 99c store. Just for kicks.

Steve hasn’t said anything for a while. Billy raises himself to his elbows, giving a perplexed look at his friend.

Steve’s chewing on his thumbnail. Billy sits up and snatches Steve’s wrist out of his mouth.

“Told you that’s a disgusting habit.”

Steve doesn’t pull his hand back. Lets Billy keep a loose grip on him, lets his pulse thump freely. Like Billy is too stupid to figure how fast a heart needs to jump to tell him Steve’s nervous as shit about something.

He’s the only person who gets to see Steve like this. Harried. Harried Harrington is what he used to call the guy when he first saw the panic attacks.

He’s better about them now. Gentler. Kinder.

Steve’s dark eyes find his. “Does dick, like. Feel good?”

Billy squeezes. Keeps squeezing until Steve grimaces. Billy lets his wrist go with a mumbled apology.

He’s better about those too these days.

“You have one.” He tries so hard not to spit the words. Tries and barely succeedsat not succumbing to that angry kid he’s come pretty far from. Still. “Ask your hand.”

“That—that came out so wrong. Um. You’re like, gay. I know that—and I’m totally fine with that, don’t glare at me. More than fine, even! Just. I, uh.”

Steve Harrington is going to finally kill him.

“Use your words, quicksilver.”

Steve tosses his head. Gets his hands in his mess of hair and pulls and scratches at his scalp.

“You know that party we went to yesterday?”

Billy feels dried up. Like a raisin. He needs a drink.

“Yep. Last night. Had to shower the liquor off you smelled so bad.”

“Hey. That was not my fault. Some girl spilled it on me.”

Billy knows that. He witnessed the feat from across the room. Amber liquid had soared before landing all down Steve’s front.

He’d been upset.

“You were pissed.”

“I wasn’t—not at her. Not at him—or, I. Christ, this is hard. Why is this hard?”

Billy watches as Steve goes through the first two stages of a mental breakdown. First comes the big confused eyes. Then the head hanging and hair pulling.

Next is the hyperventilating after a round of anxiety-inducing questions that Billy currently finds himself smack in the middle of.

“Steve. Hey.”

Billy lifts his fist. Extends a pinky. Gets Steve’s eyes on his, on his offering. Steve loops his pinky through Billy’s and breathes like Billy taught him to a few years back.

“What happened? Some asshole try to pull one over on the drunk guy with great hair?” Billy asks, half teasing, half serious.

If some college frat asshole tried something on Steve, Billy was about to be charged with murder.

But big brown eyes go wide. “No! No. I, well maybe? No, no. I—I just—made out with one of the guys from the team, andIdidn’texactlyhateit.”

Billy blinks.

Steve breathes out all nasally.

“Come again?”

“I kissed a guy. Eric. From the swim team—”

“Oh, I fucking know who Eric is,” he replies darkly.

“I—I kissed him first! It was me.” When Steve swallows, Billy can see the bob of his throat. Feel the sweat on his palm as he grabs Billy’s fist. “I just never knew I...maybe I—like guys?”

Billy briefly shuts his eyes. One, because he needs to get a grip on himself. Take a breath. Not let Steve know that he’s silently breaking apart.

And two, to thank God or whoever the fuck decided to finally grant him his last few years’ worth of birthday wishes all at the same time.

“But I still like women? I guess—I guess that doesn’t mean I’m actually attracted to him? That I’m not really gay, or something? Because man, if my dad found out I was gay I think he’d kill me.”

The laugh leaves Billy before he can even open his eyes.

“Get in line,” Billy says. “You’re freaking out over a kiss? Just a kiss?”

He gets a glare. “Yes!”

“And you’re asking me because?”

“Well, because! You’re... _gay_.”

Billy leans in close, whispers, “No way!”

Steve pushes at his fist. “Fine. Whatever. I should’ve known you wouldn’t take me seriously.”

He starts to stand and Billy absolutely can’t have that. At all.

He can’t fuck this up.

He stands up first, which turns out to be a little too fast, and more than a little disastrous as he trips over his own two feet into Steve to send them flopping back down together on the bed in a tangle of limbs. Steve’s more gangly than he thought.

He lifts his chin, letting the mouthful of Steve’s hair go on the way. He turns and Steve’s just looking up at him. Full on staring.

Billy’s laying on top of him. His legs bracketing one of Steve’s.

“Did—” Billy clears his throat to try again. “Did you like it? Kissing that snob?”

Steve’s cheeks are pink. Billy wants to kiss the moles he can see.

“Yeah.”

“You know liking both is a thing, right? You could be bisexual.”

“Bisexual,” Steve echoes, doing nothing to move out from underneath Billy.

“It would explain the row of hair products, Harrington.”

Steve hums, thoughtful and growing redder by the second. Billy can feel his heart hammering, a reverb of his own.

Steve still doesn’t move.

In fact, he shimmies a bit. The crotch of his jeans brushes Billy’s. He sucks in a breath through clenched teeth.

“We should—I should go.” Billy tries to do just that.

But Steve’s hands clamp down on his forearms.

“Don’t. Don’t go.”

It’s hard not to drop his head, breathe in the cloying scent of Polo at Steve’s collar. Billy inhales and lifts himself back up, only to feel lips skate his chin.

Steve’s grimacing at it, at himself, at what he’s just done.

“Harrington. _Steve_ ,” Billy tries, voice suddenly rough. “You even know what you’re doing?”

Steve just nods once.

Billy slides his leg a little higher. Steve’s not bothering to hide how much he likes the position they’ve found themselves in. And that’s a revelation to Billy.

“You know what you’re asking me?”

Steve dares to peck Billy on the cheek this time. Billy makes a startled, embarrassed sound.

“I do.”

Billy lets Steve make the first moves. All of them. Lets him lift his chin in a taunt as his lips skim Billy’s own.

It tickles.

“We do this, I’m not about to be a casual fling for you to find yourself, Harrington. I’m not doing that will they, won’t they bullshit. You do this, you’re as good as opening my very own personal Pandora’s Box.”

“When have I ever been casual?” Steve challenges, dragging his mouth ever closer to its goal. “And I promise I’m not half as bad as that old thing.”

“I can only hope,” Billy mutters. Steve’s breath hits him in waves, shaky puffs that make it very hard to keep thinking straight. “Steve…”

“Mmhm?”

Their mouths hover, barely touching. A skitter, a sway, an embrace Billy’s never allowed himself to have with someone he wants as bad as he’s always wanted Steve Harrington.

It feels like a roller coaster before the fall.

It’s taking too long. If it takes any longer he’s gonna scream. If he falls it’ll be too soon. A waste of effort and time and too long spent building everything for nothing.

“You can’t break my fucking heart,” Billy whispers.

Steve smiles as he closes the distance, and he’s warm, and he’s safe, and he’s dangerous just like Billy hoped.


End file.
